Sunday takes an in-depth look at Covid-19’s impact on the Cook Islands

When Covid-19 hit the globe, the Cook Islands shut up shop for over a year. Closed borders kept the deadly virus out, so too the lucrative tourist dollars desperately needed. Tour operators, restaurants and hotels had to close their doors, and jobs dried up. Young Cook Islanders, desperate for work, headed to New Zealand looking for jobs in our orchards and meat works. Now, with their borders open and the school holidays in full swing, thousands of Kiwi families are flocking to the Cook Islands to soak up the sun and as businesses start to scale up again the shortage of workers is causing major problems.

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